preventable deaths

[Tom Hanna <tph3@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

List members: Please provide any guidance you can to
mailto:jhellsten@epi.tdh.state.tx.us

Dr. Hellsten:
Please summarize responses to me & I will redistribute the results.
mailto:tph3@cornell.edu


>Status: U
>From: "John Hellsten" <jhellsten@epi.tdh.state.tx.us>
>Organization: Texas Department of Health
>To: child-fatal@abanet.org
>Date: Mon, 29 Dec 1997 13:33:35 -600 (CST)
>Subject: preventable deaths
>Sender: owner-child-fatal@mail.abanet.org
>Precedence: bulk
>
>We are trying to identify 'preventable' child deaths and are
>interested to know how this is handled in other states.
>
>The Arizona definition ("A child's death is considered to be preventable if an
>individual or the community could reasonably have done something that
>would have changed the circumstances that led to death") seems
>prudent & useful yet is dependent on a judgment of what 'reasonable' is.
>But can particular causes of  deaths be objectively categorized as
>preventable?  For example, are all injury deaths preventable?  What
>about illnesses?  Are there any particular illnesses or conditions
>in which all deaths are considered preventable, or must this be decided
>on a case by case basis?
>
>As prevention is our business, we hope to be able to accurately
>define and identify preventable deaths.  Any help or thoughts on this
>are greatly appreciated.
>
>
>John Hellsten, Ph.D.
>Epidemiologist
>Texas Child Fatality Review Team Committee
>
>